When the best ability is availability, it's no surprise why Richmond has one win to their record after the first third of the 2024 AFL season.
The Tigers have relied on 36 players across their eight games so far this year, three more than any other club in the competition. Adem Yze has seen just seven of his players play in every game up until Round 8, which is the least by some margin.
Of those seven players, just four - Nick Vlaustin, Daniel Rioli, Kamdyn McIntosh and Shai Bolton - have played 100 games in the yellow and black, with 12 of Richmond's 16 most experienced players having missed at least one game.
Geelong has the second-lowest tally for players to have played all eight games in 2024 with 11, while Adelaide, Carlton, Essendon, North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs have 12.
West Coast, North Melbourne and Gold Coast have the equal second most players used this year with 33 each.
The Eagles had just 10 players feature in their opening eight games last season, with that number up to 12 in 2024 as Adam Simpson finds a break after an injury-riddled past two years.
The same argument would support Sydney's claim for the premiership, with the Swans having used just 26 players throughout their opening eight games.
Sydney's durability, while still waiting to welcome back leaders Luke Parker and Callum Mills, has John Longmire's side primed for a deep finals push if they can remain healthy.
Collingwood, Essendon, GWS and Port Adelaide are the only other clubs to have relied on less than 30 players this season.
Sydney has had a league-high 18 players feature in every match this year, which is ahead of fellow flag contenders GWS and Melbourne on 16 each.
Here's how many players each club has used as of Round 8 and the players who have played every game in 2024 so far...
Adelaide
Players Used: 32
Played Every Game: 12 (Rory Laird, Jordan Dawson, Jake Soligo, Mitch Hinge, Josh Worrell, Josh Rachele, Izak Rankine, Chayce Jones, Ben Keays, Max Michalanney, Reilly O'Brien, Darcy Fogarty)
Brisbane
Players Used: 31
Played Every Game: 14 (Hugh McCluggage, Josh Dunkley, Dayne Zorko, Jarrod Berry, Darcy Wilmot, Cam Rayner, Joe Daniher, Jaspa Fletcher, Ryan Lester, Harris Andrews, Lincoln McCarthy, Charlie Cameron, Eric Hipwood, Kai Lohmann)
Carlton
Players Used: 32
Played Every Game:ย 12 (Patrick Cripps, George Hewett, Blake Acres, Nic Newman, Matthew Kennedy, Zac Williams, Jordan Boyd, Harry McKay, Tom De Koning, Charlie Curnow, Matt Cottrell, Matthew Owies)
Collingwood
Players Used: 29
Played Every Game:ย 15 (Nick Daicos, Josh Daicos, Scott Pendlebury, Patrick Lipinski, Brayden Maynard, Jack Crisp, Darcy Cameron, Jamie Elliott, Isaac Quaynor, Darcy Moore, Lachie Schultz, Brody Mihocek, Bobby Hill, Beau McCreery, Mason Cox)
Essendon
Players Used: 29
Played Every Game: 12 (Nic Martin, Zach Merrett, Andrew McGrath, Dyson Heppell, Jye Caldwell, Xavier Duursma, Nik Cox, Jade Gresham, Ben McKay, Jake Stringer, Kyle Langford, Todd Goldstein)
Fremantle
Players Used: 32
Played Every Game: 15 (Caleb Serong, Andrew Brayshaw, Hayden Young, Luke Ryan, Jordan Clark, James Aish, Nat Fyfe, Luke Jackson, Jeremy Sharp, Matthew Johnson, Bailey Banfield, Alex Pearce, Josh Treacy, Michael Walters, Tom Emmett)
Geelong
Players Used: 32
Played Every Game:ย 11 (Max Holmes, Gryan Miers, Zach Guthrie, Jeremy Cameron, Oliver Dempsey, Mark Blicavs, Tyson Stengle, Brad Close, Sam De Koning, Jack Henry, Oliver Henry)
Gold Coast
Players Used: 33
Played Every Game:ย 14 (Sam Flanders, Noah Anderson, Touk Miller, Matt Rowell, Brayden Fiorini, Wil Powell, Ben Ainsworth, Jack Lukosius, Sam Collins, Charlie Ballard, Tom Berry, Nick Holman, David Swallow, Ben King)
GWS
Players Used: 28
Played Every Game:ย 16 (Lachie Whitfield, Tom Green, Josh Kelly, Harry Himmelberg, Lachie Ash, Connor Idun, Brent Daniels, Kieren Briggs, Jack Buckley, Jacob Wehr, Jesse Hogan, Harvey Thomas, Jake Riccardi, Toby Bedford, Callum Brown, Aaron Cadman)
Hawthorn
Players Used: 32
Played Every Game: 14 (James Worpel, Jai Newcombe, Karl Amon, Conor Nash, James Sicily, Jarman Impey, Jack Scrimshaw, Dylan Moore, Connor MacDonald, Josh Weddle, Cameron Mackenzie, Jack Ginnivan, Blake Hardwick, Sam Frost)
Melbourne
Players Used: 31
Played Every Game:ย 16 (Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Jack Viney, Max Gawn, Ed Langdon, Trent Rivers, Alex Neal-Bullen, Judd McVee, Jake Lever, Tom Sparrow, Caleb Windsor, Jack Billings, Blake Howes, Kade Chandler, Jacob van Rooyen, Bayley Fritsch)
North Melbourne
Players Used: 33
Played Every Game:ย 12 (Harry Sheezel, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Tom Powell, Zac Fisher, Bailey Scott, Colby McKercher, Tristan Xerri, Darcy Tucker, Aidan Corr, Zane Duursma, Paul Curtis, Nick Larkey)
Port Adelaide
Players Used: 28
Played Every Game:ย 13 (Zak Butters, Connor Rozee, Dan Houston, Willem Drew, Kane Farrell, Miles Bergman, Darcy Byrne-Jones, Lachie Jones, Jackson Mead, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, Esava Ratugolea, Willie Rioli, Todd Marshall)
Richmond
Players Used: 36
Played Every Game:ย 7 (Nick Vlastuin, Daniel Rioli, Shai Bolton, Marlion Pickett, Thomson Dow, Seth Campbell, Kamdyn McIntosh)
St Kilda
Players Used: 32
Played Every Game:ย 14 (Jack Steele, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Riley Bonner, Bradley Hill, Seb Ross, Rowan Marshall, Josh Battle, Callum Wilkie, Darcy Wilson, Ryan Byrnes, Mitch Owens, Liam Stocker, Mattaes Phillipou, Tim Membrey)
Sydney
Players Used: 26
Played Every Game:ย 18 (Isaac Heeney, Errol Gulden, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Justin McInerney, Oliver Florent, Jake Lloyd, Matthew Roberts, Brodie Grundy, James Rowbottom, James Jordon, Tom Papley, Will Hayward, Tom McCartin, Hayden McLean, Logan McDonald, Lewis Melican, Joel Amartey)
West Coast
Players Used: 33
Played Every Game:ย 13 (Liam Duggan, Elliot Yeo, Tim Kelly, Jeremy McGovern, Tom Cole, Reuben Ginbey, Brady Hough, Jamie Cripps, Jake Waterman, Bailey Williams, Jack Petruccelle, Jack Darling, Campbell Chesser)
Western Bulldogs
Players Used: 31
Played Every Game:ย 12 (Adam Treloar, Marcus Bontempelli, Bailey Dale, Jason Johannisen, Lachie Bramble, Bailey Williams, Tim English, Aaron Naughton, Liam Jones, Laitham Vandermeer, Harvey Gallagher, Buku Khamis)
